Aftermath
by Rosina Marie
Summary: One-shot that takes place during the celebration following the end of the war. Snape reveals his true feelings.


I was going through my files this morning and found this little one-shot that I had written many years ago. I decided to post it and see what you all think. Hope you enjoy!

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The house at Number 12 Grimmauld Place was packed with survivors, as they celebrated the defeat of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. The war had ended a month ago, and the entire wizarding world was still in a state of celebration. Harry Potter was the center of attention, and even though he always hated being in the spotlight, he currently looked to be on top of the world. He was literally on top of everyone, as Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas lifted him off the floor and onto their shoulders. The expression on his face was one of great mirth and his smile stretched from ear to ear.

Ronald Weasley was dancing on the long kitchen table with Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil as music played throughout the house. Lavender was bitten by Grayback during the battle and now sported a nasty scar across her neck and right shoulder. Bill had volunteered to help her come to terms with the disease that would control her once a month. Parvati, on the other hand, was thankfully unharmed. The rest of the Weasley clan, however mourning the death of Fred, was glad that the war had come to an end and they could continue their lives in peace.

Severus Snape, who had just been released from St. Mungo's, was standing in a corner with his arms crossed and his trademark scowl plastered on his face. He had survived the attack by Nagini due to his use of building immunity to the snake's venom and sheer luck. He was found only moments before death and his blood was replenished before he was entirely drained. The only repercussions of the attack were that he had trouble speaking and walked with a limp. The fangs pierced his voice box and destroyed his deep, silky voice. He was now hoarse and couldn't be heard unless one was closely listening. His spine was also damaged when he fell to the ground, causing him to have trouble walking.

He had been dragged to the party by Minerva McGonagall, who was adamant that he go out in public. However, the last thing he wanted was to be around people that hated him. The only enjoyment he got from being there was that he was able to eye the young woman with curly brown hair that was standing in the opposite corner. She was holding a bottle of butterbeer, and laughing at something that Ginny Weasley had said to her. He noticed that her smile did not reach her eyes, and covertly looking into them he saw something that he usually only saw in the mirror… despair.

Hermione Granger was suffering, he could tell. He knew depression and sorrow like the back of his hand. The young woman had suffered far more than she should at her age, and it made his heart ache. Feeling anger and a headache coming on, he decided to leave the vicinity. He wandered through the house and came upon the library. Sitting down in a wingback chair, he rested his head in his hands. He stayed like that for quite some time, just enjoying the feel of being away from everyone.

Hearing a bang, he was jolted out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Molly and Arthur Weasley making their through the double doors of his sanctuary. They didn't even notice him as they fell on top of each other onto the couch, laughing and grabbing at each other like a couple of randy teenagers. Scoffing, he stood and walked away before he witnessed the very last thing he ever wanted to see.

Deciding to walk up the stairs, he made his way onto the third floor landing and opened a door to his left. Sighing in relief as he walked in and noticed that he could hear no noise, he stalled when he noticed that the room was already occupied. Hermione Granger, the woman he could not stop thinking about, must have snuck up here during the commotion. She was lying under the covers with a book in her hands.

"Hello Professor," he heard her say as she placed a ribbon in her book and laid it on the nightstand beside a bottle of Old Ogden's Firewhiskey.

"I apologize, Miss Granger," he rasped. "I was searching for somewhere quiet to rid myself of a growing headache."

He was about to walk out of the room when she spoke to him. "It's alright, sir. You're welcome to join me. This is the only silent room in the house."

"Thank you," he said as he walked further into the room and sat down on the vanity chair.

"How are you doing?" she asked him.

"As well as could be expected," he said. Still unused to his speech impairment, he grabbed lightly at his throat.

"Does it hurt?" she asked as she sat up further, looking concerned.

"No, it's just a bit uncomfortable. Why aren't you out there with your friends?"

"I'm not one for grand celebrations," she said waving her arms for emphasis.

"You'd rather celebrate alone?" he asked, motioning to the half empty bottle of firewhisky on the nightstand.

"That, mixed with Dreamless Sleep Potion, is the only thing that keeps the nightmares away," she said quietly.

"That's a lethal combination, Hermione. Too much and you could end up brain damaged," he said looking at her with disapproval. He was shocked to hear such an intelligent woman say something like that.

"I know, but what do I need my brain for anymore? My whole existence has revolved around keeping Harry Potter alive. My job is done."

"No," he said as he stood. He couldn't believe that she would say something like that. Making his way over to the bed, he sat down next to her and grabbed her hand. Looking into her eyes, he said "your job of keeping Potter alive is over, but your life is just beginning. Your job now is to create the perfect life. Go back to school to take your NEWTs, have a career, and then a family." All of a sudden, he stopped speaking and turned his head away from her. He coughed roughly into a white handkerchief he grabbed out of his pocket. Splatters of blood could be seen on the cloth as he pulled it away from his face.

"Does that happen often?" she asked referring to the blood, as she sat up and put her hand on his back in offer of comfort.

Inhaling deeply he said, "I overexerted myself. The inner wound opens when I talk too much, it should heal completely when I finish the treatments."

"That's good, but maybe you shouldn't speak. I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore."

"I have things to say." '_It's now or never'_ he thought to himself as his stomach flipped and his hands began to sweat.

"What things? And more than that, why are you here, in my room talking to me?"

"I didn't come here tonight expecting to speak to you. I accidently stumbled into your room and here we are," he said truthfully, turning to look her in the eye again and shoving her hand off his back. They were now sitting side by side on the edge of her bed. "Minerva was able to keep me out of Azkaban until my hearing next week, but after that I don't know if I'll ever be free again. My crimes entitle me to be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss."

Hermione interrupted him by saying, "they can't do that. Everything you have done was for the good of the wizarding world. They can't convict you at all!"

"They can and they will," he said roughly before another coughing fit. "I've done plenty of terrible deeds that I should be convicted for. I'm sure Potter showed you, or at least told you, about the memories that I gave him. In a fit of teenage rebellion, I joined the army of a tyrannical maniac. I raped and murdered in his name. I sentenced my best friend to death! There is no greater crime than that."

"You've had a terrible life, Severus. It was horrible that you even had the opportunity to become a Death Eater," Hermione said trying to pacify him. "But you were an impressionable young man who was a victim of peer pressure. You realized the errors of your ways and asked Professor Dumbledore for help. You did the right thing and since then, you have only done the right things."

"No, I haven't," he replied. After a few moments of silence, he continued in a tone that was so soft he hoped Hermione didn't hear him, "I fell in love with a student."

Hermione's eyes suddenly went wide as she registered his words. "Excuse me?"

"You're beautiful, Hermione Granger," he said turning to look at her but letting his hair swing in front of his eyes. "You're brilliant, and utterly remarkable. You were sixteen when I first noticed you as more than an irritating, frizzy-haired child. I felt like a pedophile, thinking of you the way I did. I tried to stop. I tried everything that I could think of. Nothing would allow me to stop loving you," he said softly, chocking on his words.

"Severus," she whispered as she reached up to tuck his hair behind his ear. With her hand lingering on his cheek, she moved forward. His eyes grew wide as he realized that she was about to kiss him, and he jerked away.

"Don't. Please," he said standing up from the bed. "I should go."

"No, wait," Hermione said standing up beside him and putting her hand on his arm. "Why did you tell me that you love me but not want to be with me?"

"Because you don't want me, you want Weasley," he scoffed.

"No, I don't," she said firmly before continuing in a small voice, "I don't _want_ anyone right now. I feel empty and like my life is over. I only want to feel alive and whole, again." Moving her hand down his arm to grasp his, she held it to her heart. "I want you, I _need_ you… to make me feel alive," she finished with emphasis.

"Hermione, I'm going to be locked up in Azkaban for the rest of my life, possibly without a soul. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me, I want this. I want you. Stay with me tonight."

With her final words, Severus stepped closer to the woman that he loved. Leaning down, he lightly pressed his lips to hers. Her lips were warm and he could taste the alcohol on her breath. She deepened the kiss and he felt his heart soar. He wrapped his arms around her waist as hers came around his neck.

Breaking the kiss, he moved his mouth to her neck nipping, kissing, and sucking every inch of her that he could reach. She began to back them towards the bed and when the back of her legs hit the mattress, they toppled over onto it. Laughing, Hermione pulled his head back down so that they were kissing again. Moving her hands underneath his billowing cloak, she slipped it from his shoulders to pool on the floor. As she began to unfasten his numerous buttons that made his outfit seem like a fortress, he kicked off his dragon-hide boots.

Severus' position of half on the bed and half on the floor had begun to make his leg throb. He grabbed Hermione around the waist and shifted them up to the headboard. Cradled between her legs, he looked down upon the beauty beneath him and was awestruck that something so wonderful was happening to him. He leaned down to kiss her swollen lips again. He couldn't get enough of her wonderful taste.

"Hermione," he rasped as he lovingly stroked his fingers through her long curls.

"Severus," she moaned in reply as she finally got the buttons of his frock coat undone. She slipped the next piece of clothing from his torso. She was then face to face with more buttons on a white silk dress shirt. Chuckling, she asked him, "how many buttons does one man need?"

"My dear, one can never have enough buttons," he replied between kisses planted near her right ear.

She smiled as she began the slow process of unbuttoning the final set of buttons hiding his flesh. When she untucked the shirt from his pants, and his shirt was finally open, she ran her hands up the length of his torso. He hissed in pleasure as her hands brushed his nipples, and the shirt was slipped off his shoulders.

As Severus moved his hands to the hem of her shirt and began lifting it up her body, she stilled. Severus could see hesitation and a slight fear in her eyes.

"Hermione, have you ever?" he asked.

"No," she replied before he could finish the question. "But I'm alright. This is exactly how I want my first time to be." She reached up and stroked the side of his face, causing him to lean into her touch. "Please don't stop."

"I won't and I'll try not to hurt you," he said as he slightly turned his head to press his lips against her palm. Resuming his actions, he pulled her shirt over her head. He was then looking down at the most stunning pair of breasts he had ever seen. They were neither too large nor too small and were encased in a black lace bra that had a clasp in the front.

Taking the clasp in his hands, he let her bra fall open and he was shocked by the sight that met his eyes when he looked down at her bare torso. Several scars marred her otherwise flawless skin, leaving him angry at himself that he had allowed harm to come to this remarkable woman. "I'm so sorry Hermione, I should have protected you," he muttered. "I'm so sorry," he repeated as he moved down her body to run his mouth over every single blemish he could find, kissing each in turn.

He heard her moan softly as he licked a small scar on her hip bone. Smiling, he looked back up at her as he continued to make his way downwards. Sliding his hands underneath the waistband of her trousers, he moved back as he lowered them, along with her knickers, down her legs and off her ankles. She was now completely bare before him and he took in her beauty with great scrutiny, wanting to memorize every inch of her.

She snapped her head to look into his eyes, as he grabbed her foot and began to slowly plant light kisses up her leg. As his mouth reached the apex of her thighs, she inhaled sharply as his breath ghosted over the area that he knew she needed him to touch the most. He grinned at her as he sat up, grabbing the opposite foot and performing the same ministrations to her other leg. This time when he reached her quim, his tongue darted out and licked her clit making her moan loudly. He continued to lick and nibble on her clit making her moans louder. When he inserted a finger inside her, she climaxed.

Panting as she cooled down from her orgasm, he moved back up her body to kiss her lips. She kissed him with fervor, wanting more of him. As she began to paw at his pants, he sat up to remove the remainder of his clothing. He saw her look at him with wide eyes as he lay back down on top of her. Raising her knees, Severus settled himself between her legs.

"I love you," he told her as he slowly began to enter her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his head down to meet hers. He kissed her lips again and moved to kiss her neck as he felt her wince in pain. She bit into his shoulder as he filled her completely, and he stalled, letting her body get used to his length and girth inside her.

"You can move now," she told him seconds later.

He only moaned in reply as he was in a state of pure bliss. As he began to rock his hips back and forth, Hermione's moans started to become louder. She moved her hips in time with his, causing him to pull almost all the way out of her before sliding back in. Panting and sweating, his hair falling into his face, he made eye contact with his beauty.

Hermione had never dreamed of ever seeing her usually stoic professor lose all abandon. In his eyes, she could see all of the emotions that she never thought he possessed. His face was contorted in pleasure as he quickened the pace of his thrusting. Sweat was dripping down his large nose, falling onto her face.

He moaned and grunted loudly as he felt close to release. Her legs came up to wrap themselves around his back, pushing him further insider her. When he felt her walls clamp down on him when she climaxed, he felt himself explode inside her. Panting, he slowly pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. Wrapping his arm around Hermione, he pulled her to his side and she laid her head onto his chest. She could hear the sound of his beating heart as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Cuddling into his side, she heard him mutter, "Goodnight, my love." They both then fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
